Note:Not much to say, so enjoy! R&R.

Chapter 21

9:28 a.m., Muggle Studies Classroom, Hogwarts(Friday)

"Oh come on Vixen, I said I was sorry!" Harry moaned walking into class with Hermione, Ron and Vixen. She remained silent and continued walking over to her usual seat.

"Yes, but you should be apologizing to Draco, Harry," Hermione told him. Harry rolled his eyes and groaned.

Vixen was getting ready to climb on top of the table when she noticed Liam standing on the other side of it. She raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled a toothy grin at her. She looked around the nearly full room before returning her eyes to him.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"Hey," Vixen replied blankly. Liam continued to smile.

"So, what did you think about what happened yesterday?" he said leaning forward on the desk. Vixen took a step back slowly.

"What about it?" Vixen asked, obviously uninterested in the conversation he had thrust upon her.

"I was pretty brave, huh?" Liam asked examining his nails. Vixen scoffed quietly at his arrogance.

"You were pretty stupid, actually. Rylen could have easily ripped your head off," she told him while folding her arms over her chest.

Draco entered the room alone this morning. He noticed Vixen standing with her arms crossed in front of Liam. He could easily see that she was not happy that he was there this morning. Draco calmly continued over to her. She kept her eyes, which were slightly narrowed, on Liam.

"Well that's debatable. I thought you liked that whole macho thing?" Liam said confused. Draco raised an eyebrow at him now.

"Frankly, what I like is none of your business. Now I suggest you return to your group," Vixen told him cocking her head to the right slightly.

"Or what?" Liam seductively asked leaning farther over the table. Draco felt himself tense up.

"Or nothing. Class is starting," she blatantly told him. Liam sighed and stood up straight.

"Alright. Well, you know where to find me," he said before winking at her. Draco felt the tips of his ears grow hot.

Liam returned to the opposite side of the room and sat with his group. Vixen took her seat perched on the table and the rest of the group remained silent. Vixen caught a glimpse of Draco out of the corner of her eye and he looked rather angry.

"Malfoy," Harry abruptly said. Draco looked his way.

"I...apologize for the incident last night," Harry forced himself to say. Draco smirked.

"No you're not, Potter. You and I both know you meant every word of what you said. But that's alright. I don't really care for you either, and I think that has been established before. However, let's try and keep our hatred for one another under control until this project is finished," Draco replied calmly. Hermione and Ron exchanged a concerned look to one another.

"Fine," was all that Harry had to say. Vixen could feel the tension in the air.

"Hi Harry," she said, finally speaking to him. Harry smiled.

"Hello Vixen," he replied while nodding his head. Draco scrunched his nose up at the greeting.

Draco felt angry this morning. The whole Liam incident wasn't any help but when he really started thinking about it, he realized he wasn't really angry with him. Nor was he genuinely angry with Harry. Was it possible that he was angry with himself?

"Draco?" Vixen asked waving her hand in front of his face. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her.

"Yes?" he asked calmly.

"Did you hear Burbage?" Vixen asked turning her head. Draco slowly shook his head back and forth.

"Well, everyone of you are supposed to ask me about my fears," she informed him. Draco tensed up.

He slowly turned to his right, facing Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. He noticed them looking back at him with goonish smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, Jacob was asleep in his seat with his head on the desk in front of him. Draco felt his stomach turning. He was now sure that he made a mistake by not telling Vixen the truth. He looked back at his own group. They were all looking at him.

"Oh. Well, you guys go ahead," Draco said to them. Vixen yawned.

"I'm not really sure why we all need to ask you. I mean, it's a simple question. Vixen, what are you afraid of?" Hermione simply asked. From across the room, Rylen watched the group intently.

"What am I afraid of?" Vixen asked quietly. She remained silent, staring at her feet that were dangling over the edge of the desk.

Draco held his breath. He couldn't believe that this was actually an assignment. He didn't plan this. The only thing he had hoped was that she wouldn't have an answer. But that would have made things too easy.

"Dying," Vixen answered calmly. It felt like someone shoved an arrow through Draco's heart.

"Well, that's normal. Many people are afraid of death," Harry pointed out. Vixen shook her head from side to side.

"No. I'm not afraid of death, Harry. I'm afraid of dying," she corrected. Draco listened while the others exchanged looks of confusion.

"Aren't those the same thing?" Ron asked. Vixen looked him in the eye.

"Not at all, Ron. When you're dead, you're dead. That's it. But when your dying, it's completely different. Are you in pain? Are you afraid? Is someone killing you? Is something killing you?" Vixen began listing off. Draco thought he was about to pass out.

He turned slightly in his seat and sighed quietly. Vixen was still talking, but he tuned her out. His conscience was really getting the best of him this morning. He averted his gaze from the floor and met the eyes of Jacob. He was staring over at Draco's group with a cold expression on his face. Draco awkwardly broke the stare down and looked to the front of the room. Even more awkwardly, he noticed Rylen staring down Jacob. Reluctantly, Draco turned back toward his group.

"I guess that makes sense," Harry admitted nodding his head. Vixen scoffed.

"You know my mom was ripped apart. That's how she died," she blurted out. The whole group became speechless and exchanged awkward glances at one another.

"Yep. I bet when she was dying she was scared. I bet she was hurting too. She was probably worried that I was dead to top it off," she continued, staring at the ground. It was as if she wasn't in control of holding in her thoughts. They just kept falling out of her mouth.

"Vixen...," Hermione nervously whispered. She didn't hear her.

"That's how I got these scars you know. It got me first. I think my mother tried to protect me. Well, I like to think that at least. I think it found her to be a bigger threat than I was," she continued to tell them. The others felt extremely uncomfortable listening to her story.

Vixen looked up when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. The entire room fell quiet at the sight of Rylen touching Vixen's shoulder. They locked eyes with one another and it was almost like she could read his mind. She slowly slid off of the table top and he walked her out of the room. Rylen closed the door behind them.

"Bloody hell...," Ron whispered. Draco looked over at Jacob. He was holding his head in his hands with his eyes shut tight.

9:49 a.m., Hallway outside of Muggle Studies, Hogwarts(Friday)

"I'm in love with Luna," Rylen said. Vixen was leaning against the stone wall in front of him.

"Okay," she replied. Rylen looked her in the eyes and placed his hands on both of her shoulders.

"I've been where you are before," he whispered calmly to her. Vixen looked up at him.

"What are you talking about Rylen?" she asked dropping her shoulders. He kept a hold of them.

"I watched my first girlfriend die," he said coldly to her. Vixen tuned in more to what he was saying.

"Her name was Reina. She was the very first girl that I had dated. We had that whole puppy love thing going on at the time. She lived in a bad neighborhood. One night, I was walking her home so she would be safe. We were stopped in an alley, not even a block away from her house, by some guy. He had a gun pointed at me and demanded we hand over our money. Reina quickly handed over her purse, but I had nothing. He wouldn't believe me no matter how many times I said it. Finally, he had enough of bickering with me I guess. He pulled the trigger," Rylen began saying. Vixen felt tears forming in her eyes.

"It was supposed to hit me. That was the intention. Before I knew it, I was on the ground and Reina was lying on top of me. We were just kids, man. We were 14 years old. I guess she had pushed me out of the way before the bullet would hit me. But she wasn't fast enough to beat it herself. She was killed on impact. The guy ran off and I was lying there in shock. I was supposed to protect her, Vixen," he explained calmly. Tears were now sliding down her cheeks as he continued.

"I knew we had a connection from the moment I saw you. Don't take that wrong, I don't mean relationship wise or anything. I'm sorry about your mother. But I thought it might help you to know that you aren't alone. If you say her name in your crystal ball, her face will appear. That's all, but it's something," he told her, releasing her shoulders. Vixen quickly grabbed him and hugged him tight.

Rylen was caught off guard and held his hands out away from her. She was sobbing into his black tee shirt and he wasn't sure what to do. He had cut himself off from any human contact after the incident happened. He cautiously patted her back with one hand. She released him and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Rylen. I'm really sorry about Reina," she told him as a few more tears slid out of her white eyes.

"It's alright. I've come to terms with it. But I'm developing feelings for Luna. That's my fear. I couldn't tell them, so I figured I could tell you. Also, I needed to talk to you," he informed her. She ran her palm over her dampened face.

"About?" she asked.

"I'm nervous about Jacob and Draco. They both worry me. I have a bad feeling about them. I couldn't save Reina. But I can save you. You need to be cautious around them before something bad happens," he warned her. Vixen raised an eyebrow at him.

"I trust you, Rylen. I'll be careful," she told him nodding her head.

"Alright. Well we should get back in there," he said opening the doors. The two walked into a dead silent room.

9:54 a.m., Muggle Studies Classroom, Hogwarts(Friday)

Vixen walked behind Rylen into the quiet room with her eyes glued to the floor. Rylen kept his eyes on Luna as he walked through the room casually. Vixen took her seat once again amongst her group and Rylen took his. The students were still staring.

"Continue with your assignment class," Burbage cautiously told the class. Many hesitated but broke down and did what they were told.

Draco watched Vixen calmly. He was full of curiosity to what Rylen had told her in the hallway. She looked as if she had been crying. He looked back over at Jacob who was simply staring at the table in front of him.

"Sorry about that," Vixen said to the group. They nodded slightly.

"I understand," Harry said. Vixen looked at him questioningly.

"My mother and father were both killed while trying to save me when I was just a child," Harry explained, glancing over at Draco quickly. Draco scrunched his nose up at him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Vixen genuinely told him. Harry nodded.

"What did Rylen have to say?" Ron whispered.

"Not much really," she lied, looking over at Draco. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Alright class! I'll see you all next week! Enjoy your weekend and be safe," Charity Burbage happily said waving the class off. Jacob was the first one out of the room.

Draco watched him exit the room quickly from his seat. Without saying anything, he grabbed his bag and went after him. Vixen watched him leave quietly. Harry extended his hand to her.

"Ready for class?" he asked, smiling at her. Vixen smiled back at him, taking his hand.

Harry helped her off of the desk and dropped her hand. He was surprised at how soft her delicate hands felt on his.

10:01 a.m., Boys Bathroom, Hogwarts(Friday)

Draco had followed Jacob down the hallway quietly. When he exited into the boys restroom, Draco did the same. He walked into the room slowly, stopping when he saw Jacob standing in the middle of the room with his back turned toward himself.

"I knew you were following me, Draco. I don't need your wise ass comments today," Jacob said without turning around.

"Are you alright?" Draco said. Jacob became confused and turned to face him.

"What did you just say?" Jacob asked, still in shock. Draco shrugged.

"You heard me. Don't expect me to ask you again because I honestly don't care either way," Draco said. Jacob grinned.

"If you don't care, then why did you ask if I was alright?" Jacob pointed out, still grinning. Draco raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you heard me the first time, then why did you ask me what I said?" Draco shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. Jacob laughed a quiet laugh.

"You know what, Draco? If you weren't trying to steal Vixen away from me, oh and you know, kill her or whatever, I think we could be good friends," Jacob said nodding his head. Draco smirked.

"No, not even then, Jacob. Not even then," Draco informed him, turning around when he had finished his sentence.

"Hey," Jacob said. Draco looked over his shoulder at him.

"Thanks for asking, I guess," he told him. Draco shrugged and left the room.

7:27 p.m., Dining Hall, Gryffindor Table, Hogwarts(Friday)

Vixen sat quietly at the dinner table, pushing some carrots around on her plate with her silver fork. She hadn't had much of an appetite the entire day. She continued to think of Rylen's warning about Jacob and Draco. For some reason plenty of the people that she had met these past two weeks have had the same feelings toward Draco. She dropped her fork in an aggravated manner and looked across the room at the Slytherin Table. She noticed Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and Draco staring at her.

She raised an eyebrow at the four and Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy smiled. Draco didn't change his solemn expression. Annoyed by their smiles, Vixen stuck her tongue out at the three Slytherin students that she had rough feelings for. The three narrowed their eyes at her, and Draco laughed. Pansy shot him an aggravated look and he ignored her. Vixen looked to Harry when he said her name.

"I'm really sorry about what happened to you and your mother Vixen," he told her. Vixen sighed lightly.

"It's fine. Really, it is," she told him. Hermione gave her a sympathetic smile.

"You said you got your scars from the incident, right?" he asked her. Vixen nodded.

"Yeah, that's right," she confirmed, touching her ribs lightly through her shirt. Ron sat quietly watching her.

"It was an animal, you know," she told them. The three sat up straighter.

"What kind of animal could leave scars that large?" Ron asked intrigued by the conversation. Vixen shrugged.

"I'm not sure. They said it could have been a bear, but it was too fast and thin to be that. Others said it was a mountain lion," she told her friends. Ron raised an eyebrow at her.

"They?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, doctors, I mean. They tried to figure it all out when I was getting stitched up," Vixen told them, motioning her hands in a knitting motion when she said "stitched".

"Wait, they actually stitch you up? Like with a needle and thread?" Ron asked quickly.

"Something like that. Usually the thread just dissolves. But for my injuries I had wire stitches in two of them. But the one in the middle required staples to keep it sealed," she told them calmly. Ron gagged.

"You alright there, mate?" Harry asked patting him on the back.

"Yeah, sure. Just peachy," Ron lied, his face turning green. Vixen laughed.

10:12 a.m., Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts(Saturday)

Vixen sat quietly in the living area of the Gryffindor Common Room with Harry. Hermione and Ron had left earlier for the library. Apparently Ron needed some tutoring according to Hermione. Vixen yawned and Harry looked at her.

Her hair had grown longer since the day she had arrived at Hogwarts. It used to fall a little onto her shoulders, but now it was reaching to her chest. Harry began to blush when he noticed he had been staring at her chest area. Luckily, Vixen hadn't noticed. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him. It was a given that Vixen was a very attractive young woman, but he had never thought that he would be one of the young men who was attracted to her.

"Harry? Are you hot or something?" Vixen asked. Harry shook his head no.

"Oh. It's just, your face is quite red," Vixen pointed out. Harry blushed even harder.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," he replied rubbing his hair with his hand. Vixen shrugged.

"Why do you hate Draco so much, Harry?" she asked without looking at him. Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"It's not that I hate him, Vixen. We just don't think the same on certain issues," Harry explained.

"Like what?" Vixen asked while crossing her legs.

"Well, muggles for example. Draco feels that muggles should be killed or used as servants to wizards. I don't see anything wrong with your kind living in harmony with my kind," Harry told her. Vixen crossed her arms.

"My kind? Harry, I'm not a kind. Aside from the magical abilities, you and I are the same race of homosapien. Not too mention, if Draco really felt that way, then why would he be so generous toward me?" she asked slightly more harshly than she intended. Harry laughed quickly.

"You can't possibly be telling me that you're falling into his act! Listen, I know you haven't known him as long as I have, so you're naive to his ways, but-," Harry began. Vixen interrupted.

"Naive! Harry Potter, you take that back this instant! Vixen Charm is not naive," she yelled at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright. I take it back. You just aren't familiar with his ways. I've seen Draco do unspeakable things to undeserving people. You know he calls Hermione "Mudblood" don't you? That's an awful name for someone who isn't a pureblood. Or that he calls Ron a blood-traitor just because he isn't friends with many pureblood families? Draco feels that he is superior to everyone regardless of who they are. He's a bully Vixen. A real story book villain," Harry continued to tell her. Vixen rolled her eyes.

"Have you ever wondered why he acts that way, though? Children do not pick fights with others for no reason, Harry. Maybe he doesn't have a good home life," she informed him. Harry laughed again.

"Malfoy? A bad family life? Ha! The bloody git has a mansion, Vixen. His parents pay to get him everything he wants when he wants it. That boy has servants for every little thing," he told her. Vixen placed a hand to her head and groaned.

"Number one, his parents have a mansion. And number two, just because someone has a nice house doesn't mean that they have a good family life. Trust me, I'm a prime example of that," she said pointing to herself. Harry shrugged.

"Malfoy is never going to change, Vixen. Not for Pansy, not for you, and not for the next girl that comes along. He is playing with you. Don't you see that?" he explained to her, leaning forward in his chair. Vixen stood up.

"I think we're finished here," she angrily said to him while walking out of the room and into the castle.

Harry groaned and slumped deeper into his seat.